Through the Fire Pt. 02

[:::: Authors Note ::::]

If you have yet to read part 1, I suggest that you do before starting on this one, there is context that is important for what we are about to read.

Now, this is the longest part of the series at a little under 19,000 words, there is a lot for us to get through so ensure you have a comfy chair, a pillow to lean on and a box of tissues ready.

Anyway, lets get back into the story.

When we finished part one, Brian was drifting off to sleep after being singled out in the crowd by a famous supermodel, Lurandra, and kissed for the world to see while she calls him her hero.

What happened next? Read on...

[:::: Through the Fire - Part 2 ::::]

[:::: 5 ::::]

The next morning was Sunday and was my one morning of the week that I allowed myself to sleep in, but by seven-thirty my phone was ringing constantly. After the third time of my phone vibrating on my bedside table in as many minutes, I accepted the call.

"What?" I said not even caring who the caller was that had interrupted a very nice dream in which a certain sexy supermodel was looking longingly into my eyes.

"Bro, are you up?" the excited voice of my sister sounded through my phone.

"Harper?" I replied, annoyance in my voice, "What the... It's Sunday and only seven..." I looked at my bedside clock. "...Thirty-three. Why the hell are you calling me?"

"You're everywhere Brian," Harper said ignoring my disdain. "And I do mean everywhere. Turn on your TV."

I groaned but reached over to the remote and flicked on the TV. It turned onto one of the morning talk shows. You know the ones; they talk about the "news" and all the social impact things happening in the world that don't actually mean a thing to anyone except creating gossip; only this time, the short rolling video clip that they were showing over and over again was of me. Well not just me, but the kiss that Lurandra gave me. With Harper still on the phone I turned the sound up on the TV.

"Recounting one of our top stories this morning. Yesterday was a major fund-raising event for burns victims in Brisbane's, New Farm Park. The event itself raised almost six hundred thousand dollars for new medical equipment, much of which will go for helping children. However, the question on everyone's lips is 'who' is the man that international super model, Lurandra stopped an entire fashion show for? Obviously, a burns victim himself, the unidentified man was beckoned forward and kissed in front of almost two thousand people.

"In trying to unwrap this mystery, later this morning in entertainment news, we take a look at Lurandras rise to fame and who this mysterious man might be when she said the whispered words, 'My hero'.

In other news..."

I was stunned. Never in my life had I wanted the spotlight and having never met a supermodel before, let alone been given the time of day by anyone who called themselves beautiful, I was in uncharted territory.

"Brian, you still there?" Harper asked me.

"Yeah..." I said absent mindedly.

She giggled.

"Trey says you looked really manly in the clip," she teased me, I snorted.

"Well, I did get to kiss a really hot woman," I said, smiling thinking again of her lips on mine. "I think he's just jealous that he only gets to kiss you."

"Hey," she said in mock anger. "I might not be a super model, but I know how to rock my man's world."

"Too much information Harper," I laughed, "Too much information."

We spoke for a few more minutes, and we speculated about why Lurandra may have singled me out from the crowd. Our chat was interrupted by Mum and Dad, joining in a conference call, also wanting to tell me about the news. I spent another half hour in bed, before just deciding that I wasn't going to get any more sleep and got up.

I spent a lazy Sunday around the house and even got a couple of looks from my neighbours as I mowed my front yard. For the first time ever when they looked at me I didn't look away, I smiled and waved, and they smiled back.

Perhaps being seen wasn't such a bad thing.

Monday at work, we started on a new public park that Geoff had gotten the approval to begin to create. The media were there, somehow having tracked me down, and I had a dozen reporters shove cameras in my face as I got out of my Hilux.

"Is it true that you're dating Lurandra?" one fired at me.

"How long have you two been seeing each other?" fired off another.

I stood stunned, frozen to the spot. After a minute I moved to tug my sleeves down to cover my scarred arms. One of the reporters noticed the movements and she quickly shot at me, "How did you get your burns?".

"Oi," Geoff shouted getting out of his truck and quickly moving to me. "I think you can all leave Brian alone!"

"Mr. Webb," the one who asked if I was dating the super model asked, "How long have you known about the relationship between Mr Other and Lurandra?"

Geoff's face darkened. "Now all of you listen here," he said menacingly, "What relationships Brian does or doesn't have is no interest of yours. He is a good worker, one of my best and right now, you are stopping him from doing his job. So, unless you want complaints lodged against your workplaces for harassment, I suggest you clear off and let us do our jobs."

With that Geoff pulled out his smart phone and snapped a picture of the half dozen people, making sure to get the logo's on their clothing, and equipment. Then without saying anything he led me back over to his truck and cast a glance at the gaggle of reporters still milling around.

"Ignore them Brian," he told me. "There are just opportunists, but they should leave us alone. Are you okay?"

I nodded my head and said nothing, before he gave me a smile and left me as I started to work. Whereas on the weekend I felt normal for the first time, the questions the reporters asked me for some reason made me feel humiliated and ashamed as if I felt unworthy of all the attention. In just a few short minutes my self-esteem had again collapsed and I couldn't figure out why. None of the questions were particularly bad, I just felt like I needed to hide away.

I spent the rest of the day just concentrating on the work that needed to be done. The team was cautious around me. I could see the desire in them to ask about the weekend, but a look from Geoff as we all worked halted any questions before they were asked.

The video footage of their catching me at work never made it into the news like the initial kiss did, but there were a couple of online articles that surfaced talking about it, showing photos of me working and a close up of the kiss. I'm not really one for doomscrolling comments about my own life but in this case, I couldn't help it.

[ It was a publicity stunt, she's just using the poor guy for attention ]

[ I feel sorry for the poor scarred bastard, she's using him for her own career ]

[ Even with those scars the guy is a hunk, I mean the size of him. If I was Lurandra I'd date him ]

On and on the comments went, most were comments that Lurandra was using me. There were a few that threw insults at me due to my scars, but more people stepped in to tell them to shove off, which I found gratifying.

Two weeks after the event, I was back to just being Brian Other, a large, horribly scarred man with my usual self-confidence issues. Though that wasn't entirely true. The second Friday after the event I was presented with the obligatory invite to the pub after work, I surprised everyone this time by accepting the invite.

I won't say I had the time of my life as I sat there with my work crew enjoying a drink and passing crude jokes and jibes, but it was fun and I can admit I had a good time. I got dozens of stares from the other patrons, whether it was from my looks or that they recognised me from the news. I caught a number of whispers, but the guys bought me a few beers and it was a good start to my weekend.

The next morning, I read a news article that Lurandra was strutting her stuff in New York and was rumoured that she was seeing a b-grade Hollywood actor. Some of the comments on the article weren't so nice as the author said he was nothing compared to me, the guy she kissed in New Farm Park. That made me smile.

The other thing that changed for me since that event was how I spent my weekends. I now spent most of my Saturday mornings at the hospital in the Burns Unit. Spending time with the kids in the park had awoken something in me. I now understood that I had something to give. Many of them needed support to understand how they could act normal, get jobs, find partners, live a normal life.

They looked at me with my full body scars, someone who had been burned as a child and was now grown and from their point of view I was living a normal life and it gave them hope.

I found from that first visit after the event, that the doctors, parents, and the kids welcomed me with open arms. Of course, my favourites were Tim and Sonia. They spent endless hours talking with me and telling me how their most cherished possessions were the unicorn and lion along with a framed picture of Harper and I standing with them and the Wiggles.

Outside of weekends, I managed to get Geoff to let me take the morning off a month later. It was the day that Sonia was to take her first faltering steps without assistance. Everyone clapped and cheered as she made it to the end of the small supported walkway of only five steps. I felt my heart enlarge five times that day, as moments after her walk, Sonia demanded, my full attention. We had a loving hug and she kissed my cheek.

Tim and Sonia may not have been my kids, but there was a special place in my heart for them. I knew, that wherever they ended up, there was a bond between us now. I was fully committed to be there for either of them anytime they asked in the future.

The next Saturday, now almost three months since that day in the park, I was enjoying a barely passable muffin and some really bad coffee in the hospital cafeteria before heading to the Burns Unit to see Tim and Sonia when she sat down opposite me.

I looked up, then did a second glance. I had to give her props for the audacity to sit down uninvited after what she had put me through. At least she had the courtesy to blush.

"Hey," she said simply after a few moments. I wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"Hi," I replied flatly.

"Fancy seeing you here," she stated trying shyly to draw me into conversation.

In response I picked up my coffee cup and took a sip of the rapidly cooling, really, really bad coffee that was growing more and more bitter by the second. I frowned down into the cup.

"Not really," I replied. "I think you knew I would be here."

"That's true," she answered. "I did, I've just been waiting for the right time to see you again."

I sighed and so much of the last few months flew through my mind, I walked backwards thinking fondly of my blossoming friendship with Tim and Sonia, how much more comfortable I was around people and how those I worked with were encouraging me to come out of my shell. I thought through that day at the park where my life changed and then I thought about the woman sitting opposite me.

I stood, picking up the remains of the muffin and coffee cup, throwing them into the bin, then just walked out of the cafeteria towards the Burns Unit, leaving her sitting there stunned that I would just walk away.

"Brian wait," she said following after me.

"I thought," she stopped. "I thought we could talk about it, what happened that is, see if we could..."

"What," I spat suddenly, angry, turning to glare at the pleading woman, ignoring the few other people walking along the hospital corridors.

"You thought after what you did and the shit you put me through, I'd just open my arms and say, 'hey it's all good, you didn't mean to hurt me, it just happened that way?' or something like that?" I told the now cowering woman.

"Well," she said. "Not quite like that, but Brian, we could, I mean..."

"No," I interrupted and turned beginning to walk away again.

"Come on Brian," she said, still following behind me. "Look at you, you're so much more confident, you're in public. You have even been on the news. What harm could it do?"

"Ava," I said angrily turning back to her. "You treated me like garbage in the time we were together, only using me because you thought I would give you things, then you went and slept with one of the few people I truly hate in this world. Why in the hell do you think I would ever want anything to do with you again?"

"Because who in this entire world will ever give a hideous, disfigured freak like you the time of day, let alone have any romantic interest in you, except me," she replied, and then, a moment later, realized what she said as her hands flew to her mouth. I glared at her for a moment.

"Brian... I... I didn't mean..." Ava said eyes wide.

I took a step towards her, raised myself up to my full height, swept my hair off my face and stood towering over her, showing my burns open and with pride, then looked her up and down like smelly trash that contained three-day old maggot filled meat scraps and mouldy bread.

"So what," I glowered at her. "Good Ol' Brian DuMont with the oh so big cock that fucks you so good got tired of your fat lard ass. Now that he got what he wanted, which was to hurt me, he suddenly dumps you like rotten eggs and you have no idea what to do.

"Then you see on the news that I had five minutes of fame and thought perhaps the freak isn't a bad option after all. You know, since you're an unattractive shrew that no one will give the time of day to, you were likely thinking that I would be so desperate because I can't find a date that I would take you back. But I think you did mean what you said, its truly how you see me. Do you also see me as so much worse than what you are?"

She did have the shame to look away confirming the statement.

"Just so you know Ava, it's not that you're overweight that people don't want to date you," I told the now cowering woman. "It's that you're... unpleasant, to be around," I lectured her. "Me, thanks to that day in the park, I have people that have shown me I have worth that transcends my scars. People care about me and I know that one day I will meet a woman that will see past it all to value the real me, not just settle because I might be desperate for love."

I finally relaxed for a moment as the woman in front of me, that I once thought fondly of, looked like she was about to break down.

"Look, Ava," I told her speaking more softly. "There will never be anything between us. You torched that with how you ended our relationship. But I don't want to hate you. Take your medicine, stay away from turds like DuMont, and next time you find a man showing interest in you, look past any flaws he has and try to show him that you're not a selfish, cheating shrew. Be a better person!"

She dropped her head and gave a sad nod.

"I..." she stopped. Then looked at me. "I'm sorry Brian, I really am, and I'll try to be better."

"That's all anyone can ask," I said smiling at her, even though I didn't feel like it.

We said our goodbyes and Ava walked back towards the café slowly, looking for all intents and purposes like the world had just broken her. Who knows, perhaps some of what I said would get through to her.

Me? I felt both exalted and depressed by the conversation. On one hand I had never truly stood up for myself like that before with anyone. On the other, Ava's points about someone wanting to be with me still made my heart ache.

Reaching the Burns Unit a few minutes later I put on a brave face and headed in to spend time with others like me that would have to fight through life to be accepted despite how they looked.

Not an hour later, I was sitting with Sonia and another young girl, Meghan. We were reading a story together when Sonia picked up on my mood.

"Mr. Brian are you okay?" she asked in her small voice. While she was still covered in the specialised burns bandages and would be for some time to come, the fact that she could now move short distances under her own power had brought a lot of joy to everyone in the burns ward.

"Sure Sweetie," I replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you seem sad today, that's why," the clever little girl told me matter-of-factly.

I thought for a minute and understood that some kids are a lot more perceptive than we credit to them. Sonia had seen right through my mask of trying to be happy. I sat back against the back of the couch where we were sitting and closed my eyes. Hearing but not seeing the movement around us. I could feel the kids playing with toys and games spread all around us. Others were sitting with parents, friends, or nurses. Reclining in various alcoves around the large community area. Others still were sitting and just doing nothing, broken by being a burns victim or the family of a burn victim. The mood in this room was always flying between anger and joy, Between hope and desperation. One could not spend any time in a place like this without it affecting them.

Sitting with Sonia and Meghan, my eyes closed, I soaked in the room for a few moments and thought about how to respond to Sonia's question.

I smiled as I opened my eyes and looked at my little friend, a fellow burns victim that would have many of the same challenges that I had as she grew up, and I reaffirmed my vow then to be there for her and her brother as much as I could in the future.

"I suppose you're right, today I am a little sad," I admitted truthfully.

"But why Mr. Brian," Meghan asked, no longer focused on the pages of the book we were reading a few moments ago.

"Because sometimes people can be mean," I told the two girls, and they nodded sagely.

"On the way here today, someone who was mean to me a while ago tried to talk with me. Today when I talked with her, she again used what felt like mean words that really hurt me."

"We don't look like normal people," Sonia said astutely, then looked to the side being distracted by someone sitting down behind us."

"No, we don't," I agreed. "But just because we look different doesn't mean that its fair for people to treat us like we don't have feelings, dreams and desires like everyone else. But, unlike normal people, we also have to be more brave than them, because they might think they know our pain and pity us for it, but we have to be the ones to show them how to be better, we need to be..."

I stopped to think of the right word and her voice, that melodic voice that had only ever spoken two words to me resounded around the room.

"You need to show us how much you're our heroes," the voice said as I turned around and saw the speaker, Lurandra!

She was removing a large straw woven hat and big sunglasses to hide who she was and was smiling at me.

"Hello Brian," she said.

Everyone in the room had stopped and heads were now flicking back and forth between us. Sonia was frowning while Meghan was bouncing up and down.

"It's her Mr. Brian, it's the woman who kissed you, Luada," Meghan said excitedly.

"Lurandra," I said correcting her, then looked back towards the supermodel. "Ms. Lurandra, would it be alright if I asked what you're doing here?"

She smiled. I'm sure it could have melted the polar icecaps it was so brilliant.

"Of course. I'd be lying if I didn't say I came to speak with you," she told all of us who were now listening, which now was the entire room. "But I also spend time in a lot of hospitals around the world visiting with kids, so I thought today I could cover both."

I nodded; of course, I had taken more than a passing interest in her career since that day. She had come to international fame about eight years ago around the age of seventeen and quickly gained renown on the catwalk. Behind the scenes she was known as a no-nonsense person. While she was seen at parties, she was also known to stay away from the seedier side of the industry including drugs and such.